


Patchwork

by 7heN3rD



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Baby Harry, Child Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Feels, Harry Potter was Raised by Other(s), Hurt Remus Lupin, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, M/M, Pre-Hogwarts, Protective Remus Lupin, Raising Harry Potter, Remus Lupin Needs a Hug, Sirius - Freeform, Werewolf Remus Lupin, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:20:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23852953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7heN3rD/pseuds/7heN3rD
Summary: Remus goes to see Harry on his second birthday and finds him poorly cared for and unloved. Making a snap decision, he takes Harry to raise him on his own. Life has not been kind to either of them but they will be good to each other. Harry will love Remus and Remus will stand against the world to keep Harry safe.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Other(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53





	Patchwork

Chapter 1

Remus felt sick, a hand was squeezing his heart. He was running a well-worn path but the halls of Hogwarts Castle felt foreign to him. This place had always been his refuge, carrying memories of laughter and sly looks passed between friends, but it all seemed hollow now. Those memories were just dreams he had once had. Remus didn’t want to reach his destination. Maybe if he just kept going he could find the laughter again; find the friends. 

But all too soon he was standing in front of the stone gargoyle that guarded the headmaster’s office.

_ Don’t go in, _ whispered a voice inside of him.

“Chocolate,” Remus choked on the words. Bile rose in his throat.

“Chocolate,” it came a little easier this time, but it still stuck.

“Chocolate frog,” as the words were released, the gargoyle slid to the side and Remus stumbled up the stairs. Having made it this far, he didn’t stop to knock at the top and instead pushed the door open, nearly falling as he entered Dumbledore’s office. 

The place seemed to be empty. No one sat at the regal desk, no one stood at the overstuffed bookshelf in the back. Remus felt foolish, he should have written or sent a patronus. There was no telling where Dumbledore could be. With the events of last night, the old man was likely at the Ministry of Magic or the Order’s headquarters. But Remus couldn't walk freely around the Ministry Offices and he didn’t have access to the headquarters, so this was the only place he could think of to go to find answers.

“Dammit!” He barked in frustration and threw himself down on the red wingback armchair in front of the desk. He stared down at his own hand as it clutched the armrest. The longer he stared, the more the color of the fabric looked like freshly spilled blood. Remus could almost imagine it seeping through his fingers. Dripping onto the ground. The blood was under his fingernails. It was thick and warm. His nose was filled with the smell of it. Whose blood was this? It was never going to come off. He was never going to be rid of it. He was sucking in air but it just intensified the smell. His heart beat hammered in his ears as his own blood rushed through his veins.

_ BumBum BumBum BumBum.  _

_ Bang!  _ The office door hit the back wall as it swung open.

“Remus?” Dumbledore was surprised to find him there. “Have you been here long?”

Remus looked around and realized that it was darker in the room than when he first arrived. The shadows cast by the light from the window had lengthened and someone, likely a house elf, had come and lit the lamps.

“Not long,” he told Dumbledore, not wanting to explain himself. The Headmaster nodded like Remus had said something profound and slowly made his way around the table and settled into the chair on the other side.

Remus’s skin itched as Dumbledore studied him. Why was he not saying anything?  _ Say something! _

“I heard news in the camp yesterday.” Remus paused, giving the older man a chance to say something. When he said nothing, Remus pushed forward. “They were saying that Voldemort is dead. They were saying that James is dead; that Lily is dead.”

Dumbledore’s shoulders slumped and his face seemed to show his hundred years. 

“Voldemort came for Harry on All Hallows Eve. Both Lily and James were killed.” Dumbledore sounded like a man broken by the world. “When he went for Harry, the killing curse rebounded and destroyed him.”

Remus felt some hope for the first time since hearing the terrible and joyful news, “Harry’s alive?”

“He is. And so is Voldemort.”

“What are you talking about? I thought,” Remus didn’t know what to think, too much was happening at the same time, “You just said that the curse rebounded. Doesn’t that mean that it killed him?”

“I can’t be certain, but there are signs of an energy leaving the house. We cannot let our guard down.” This was the Dumbledore Remus knew. The man who led them into war. A war that ended with Remus’ greatest fear.

“How did he even find the house?” Then it hit him, and his heart was ripped in half. “Sirius is dead, isn’t he?”

“It's far worse than that, my boy.” Dumbledore stood and came back round the table. He placed a hand on Remus’ shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, but only served to send icy panic running through his veins. “He’s betrayed us. Hagrid saw him alive and well just after the attack.”

_ You’re a traitor. _

“He left Harry with Hagrid and went after Peter Pettigrew.”

_ You’re a traitor. _

“When the aurors found him he had killed Peter along with twelve muggles.”

_ You’re a traitor. _

“He’s being sent to Azkaban.”

_ You’re a traitor. _

“No!” Remus shouted, brushing off the old man’s hand as he stood from the blood red chair. “Sirius would never betray James. They were brothers to each other. Sirius would never betray him.”

“I wish there was another explanation.” Dumbledore looked sympathetic to what Remus was going through, but Remus didn’t trust that look. He had seen the man use that same look of sympathy to garner support against Voldemort. It was a calculated look. “With the Fidelius charm, there is no other explanation. Sirius gave Voldemort the location of the Potters. He did betray them.”

_ You’re a traitor. Nothing but a monster. _

“Sirius wouldn’t,” But what other explanation was there? “Sirius couldn’t have.” But how else were they found?

“I know it's hard to understand, Remus.” He turned back to Dumbledore. “Perhaps you should go home and rest. There’s nothing more to be done tonight.”

“Yes,” He seemed to be going into shock, “rest would be good. I should go home. I should go home and rest.”

In a fog, he left, walking down the stairs and back into the hall.

That was all he could remember before waking up in his cottage in Wales the next morning. 

Remus lay in bed staring at the wall until the sun began to set, eventually forcing himself up to use the toilet and have some toast. When he woke up again, two hours later, he was drenched in sweat, tears running down his face. He couldn’t remember what he had been dreaming about but couldn’t sleep again until the sunlight was just peeking out through the gaps in the trees around the house.

That became his routine for the next week. He would sleep until a nightmare woke him. He would lay in bed until his physical needs drove him up. He would think of James and Sirius until his ears were ringing with the sound of their voices, his sight was filled with their smiles. He would think of better days until reality would reach out and slap him across the face and he would remember that he was alone.

On the ninth day, as he got up to drink some water, Remus stumbled and knocked over a pile of papers and boxes stacked against the wall. He began to bend over to clear up, but lost motivation before he reached the ground. Sighing, he straightened and continued towards the kitchen. Papers crinkled under his feet as he walked.

Abruptly, the feel of paper and hardwood was replaced with the press of a soft object under his foot. Remus retreated a step and looked down at a black plush dog lying on the floor. He had bought it 4 months ago as a gift for Harry’s first birthday. There was something about it that reminded him of Padfoot and he knew how much Harry adored his godfather. The memory brought up a fresh wave of grief that nearly brought him to his knees. Remus only fought the urge to collapse long enough to make it back to bed.

When he woke the next morning his mind was filled with one thought. It was a new thought. A thought that pushed all others out of the way. 

_ Where is Harry? _

Immediately, he jumped from bed and ran to the flu, calling up Dumbledore’s office.

“Dumbledore!” He shouted into the empty room, just his head in the flames. “Dumbledore!”

The tapestry on the wall shifted before being pushed to the side and a disheveled looking Dumbledore stepped out.

“Remus? Are you alright?” Remus hadn’t realized how early in the morning it was until he heard the raspy undertones in the Headmaster’s voice. 

“I’m sorry for waking you Professor, but I need to know. Where’s Harry? Who’s taking care of him?” He felt foolish now that he’d said it. Of course Dumbledore would have Harry in a safe place. There was no need for him to have called in a panic. But here he was anyway.

“It’s alright, my boy. You are still recovering from a great shock.” Remus actually believed the kindness he heard in the man’s voice and let it sooth his anxieties. “Harry has been sent to stay with his aunt, Lily’s sister Petunia. He is safe and being cared for.”

Remus was confused. Lily had not spoken to Petunia since her sister had refused to attend her wedding. Petunia had never even met Harry. There were plenty of people who knew and cared for Harry, why was he sent there of all places? Remus expressed all these concerns aloud. 

“The shared blood between Harry and his Aunt Petunia, will act as a shield against those with magic that wish to harm Harry.” Dumbledore explained. “It is the safest place for him.”

The feeling of foolishness returned as Dumbledore spoke and Remus realized that everything had been taken care of. He was not needed any longer.

_ You’re a traitor. Nothing but a monster. You’ll never see James or Harry again. _

“Can I see him?” Remus desperately hoped he could. He wanted to hold the last remaining part of his little stitched together family. But his hopes were dashed as Dumbledore shook his head.

“Petunia has made it clear that she wants there to be no contact until it is time for the boy to go off to school. I believe it is best to obey her wishes in this matter. It is up to her to raise the child from now on.”

What Dumbledore said made sense, but it didn’t help to soothe the ache that was left from the dashed hope of being able to hold the baby one last time.

Remus bade goodnight and returned to his bedroom. The space was beginning to feel more and more like a prison to him. 

It would take a month before Remus broke free of the prison and found a new job in a small muggle town near his cottage. It would be another three months after that before Remus would step foot into a wizarding town. And it would be nine months since the death of Lily and James Potter before Remus would defy Dumbledore’s wishes.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a new idea I had for a story. I hope you like it!  
> If anyone is interested in being the Beta Reader / Editor for this story, please let me know.


End file.
